


You Make My Heart Swell

by signed_aj



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Car Accidents, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Karasuno, M/M, Protective Karasuno Volleyball Club, Sad Yamaguchi Tadashi, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings, tsukkiyama - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:00:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28055793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/signed_aj/pseuds/signed_aj
Summary: “They’re right, you know? I know it’s been just you and me for a long time, but you’ve got a team now. They need you, Tsukki.” Tadashi bit back tears. “But goddammit, I need you more! Wake up, Tsukki. Please wake up.”-Tsukishima and his parents get into a car accident that should have left every one of them dead, but they're not.
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 160





	You Make My Heart Swell

“Daichi?”

“Hey! Yamaguchi, practice is about to start, are you and Tsukishima on your way?” 

“I- I- it’s Tsukki,” Tadashi stammered into the phone. “There was an accident.”

"What happened? Do you need me to come get you?”

“No! I’m- we’re at the hospital. I’m sorry, I-” Tadashi wiped his face clean of tears with the sleeve of his shirt. New ones just continued to pour down his cheeks. “I should have called sooner. He’s been here almost all night. Well… we both have.”

“We’re on our way, Tadashi,” Daichi said in a soft voice, the phone shifting as people yelled and doors slammed all around him. “What happened?”

“Tsukki and- and his parents were coming to my house for dinner last night. They got in a car accident down the main street. Their car flipped.”

He thought he could hear Sugawara say something along the lines of, “That was Tsukishima? We passed that accident last night!”

“Is everyone alright?”

Tadashi sniffled and stepped back into the hospital room where Tsukishima laid motionless on the bed. There were all kinds of wires and tubes coming from his body and machines beeping around his head to tell the nurses that were observing him how he was doing. 

He couldn’t understand what any of it meant or what the nurses were talking about what they talked about what was wrong with him. 

What he knew was that Tsukishima’s head was wrapped in white bandages where he’d seen crimson blood seeping through more than one time since he’d arrived. He knew that his chest was wrapped as well, with a large cut and an even bigger bruise spanning from his collarbone almost to his belly button underneath the bandages. 

“Tsukki hit his head in the accident. He almost went through the windshield from what I’ve heard. His dad’s in his second surgery right now and his mom was in the backseat since she gets carsick, so she’s only got a broken arm. She’s the only one that’s woken up so far.”

“Tsukishima’s unconscious?”

Tadashi opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out but a soft cry. The phone shifted again and Sugawara’s voice came through it rather than Daichi’s. “Hey, Tadashi,” he greeted, his best impression of calmness reverberating through the phone. “Coach and Takeda are splitting up the team in their cars and driving us all to the hospital, alright? We’re gonna be there soon.”

“Thanks, guys,” he muttered, taking the seat he’d been in nearly all night right next to Tsukishima’s bed. He took his hand, careful of the IV and monitors attached to his arm. “Can you stay on the phone until you get here?”

“Of course!”

“How’s Tsukki?” Hinata asked.

“Stable,” Tadashi answered, even though he was sure the question had been directed to Sugawara. He was so used to hearing that response anytime he asked one of the nurses how he was doing that it came out without a moment of thought. “They just keep saying he’s stable, but... he looks really really bad.”

Tadashi’s eyes traced over the bruises on Tsukishima’s neck where his headphones normally sat, up to the cuts on his face that they’d been covering in ointments and things every hour or so, and then to the small dot of blood starting to seep from the bandages on his head.

Couldn’t they do something to stop that? They’d already stitched him up, but the bleeding wouldn’t stop. 

It was Coach Ukai’s voice this time. “A lot of times the external injuries look a lot worse than they are. As long as they’re sure he doesn’t have any internal bleeding or anything, he’s going to be good as new in no time.”

Tadashi brought Tsukishima’s bruised hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles. “You better wake up soon, you idiot,” he whispered, sure that the others could probably hear him over the phone. “I can’t do this without you.” 

“We’re about ten minutes away,” Daichi told him. “Maybe less at the speed Ukai’s driving. I can’t even see Takeda anymore.” 

He wanted to laugh. He’d seen Coach Ukai’s driving before. If nothing else, he got anywhere he needed to be faster than what should be humanly possible.

“Please be careful,” he whispered. Silence lulled on the other side of the phone, but the sound of wind lessened, and he could only assume Ukai had slowed down at his request.

“How are you doing?” Kageyama asked, his voice stiff with worry. 

“Bad.” Tadashi’s bottom lip trembled. “So bad. I’ve never been so worried in my life. What if they didn’t catch something? I mean, he was only awake when they were pulling him from the car. What if his brain is bleeding or swelling or clotting-”

“Take a deep breath,” Sugawara interjected, taking in some deep breaths over the phone that Tadashi did his best to follow with very little success. “I’m sure the doctors have done everything that they can.” 

“If he hasn’t woken up yet, it’s probably because his body is trying to recover from everything that just happened to him,” Coach Ukai added. “Tsukishima is strong enough to get through almost anything, Tadashi. He’s going to be alright.” 

Tadashi took a few deep breaths. “Are you any closer?”

“Three or four minutes,” Daichi said. “The others are catching up to us now, so they’ll be there just as soon.”

“Are you still breathing?” Sugawara asked him. 

He forced himself to take a few deep breaths. “Hardly.” 

“Everything’s going to be okay.”

“Maybe.” He looked into the hallway where Tsukishima’s doctor was whispering to another doctor and a group of nurses, looking very gloomy. “They don’t think his dad’s going to make it,” he said before he could stop himself. 

One of the doctors looked into the room and caught Tadashi’s eyes. He cast him a sad smile.

“Or he already hasn’t.”

“We’re pulling in now,” Hinata announced. 

“We’re on our way in.”

There was a flurry of noises, people talking, machines beeping, intercoms calling for people. 

“They’re only letting two of us up at a time,” Daichi told him. “Suga and I are on our way up.” 

After a lot of banging and elevator noises, Daichi and Sugawara were running into the room, nearly tripping each other in the doorway. Tadashi let go of Tsukishima’s hand, threw his phone onto the bed, and stood to let his captains wrap him in a much needed hug.

He clung onto Daichi’s shirt, knowing full well that the second he’d seen them, the tears had started back in full force. He cried into his chest, muttering things about being worried about Tsukishima and about how he was almost sure that his dad hadn’t made it through his second surgery. 

From behind him, Sugawara was hugging him as well. “It’s okay, Tadashi. Everything’s okay,” he said into Tadashi’s hair over and over again. “We’re going to get through this.”

He clung to those words.

Maybe if he really believed it, it’d make it all a little more true. 

Daichi and Suga stayed with him for a little over half an hour. It wasn’t long after they’d left that Coach Ukai and Takeda came up to give him some advice and a pep talk that didn’t work as well as they did before a volleyball game, but he appreciated their support nonetheless. Takeda even took Tsukishima’s bent up and broken glasses that had been left on a table in the hospital room and said he’d take them to the person who normally made and fixed his own glasses. 

After they’d left, Nishinoya and Asahi arrived, Nishinoya with snacks he’d gotten from the vending machine. 

“I figured you haven’t eaten anything if you’ve been here all night,” he dropped the snacks on the table. “We’re about to go pick up some stuff from Sakanoshita Market if you want us to bring you anything specific back? Meat buns? Energy bars? Coffee maybe?”

The thought of eating made Tadashi’s stomach crawl with both hunger and unease. Even though he knew that he was hungry, the idea of eating made him want to vomit.

“Anything works,” he told him. No matter what, he needed the energy to stay up in case Tsukishima woke up in the middle of the night. “Coffee and energy bars would be cool, though.” 

Asahi put a hand on Tadashi’s head and ruffled his hair a little. “He’s gonna be alright. Four Eyes doesn’t get to just leave us hanging. We all need him.”

Nishinoya leaned over the bed towards Tsukishima’s face. “Here that, Stupidshima? Wake up! We need you.” When Tsukishima didn’t stir, Nishinoya frowned. “Fine, get your rest of whatever. We should get to Sakanoshita’s anyway. We’ll be back in a bit.” 

Tadashi waved goodbye and took Tsukishima’s hand back in his. “They’re right, you know? I know it’s been just you and me for a long time, but you’ve got a team now. They need you, Tsukki.” He bit back tears. “But goddammit, I need you more! Wake up, Tsukki. Please wake up.” 

He didn’t. 

Not yet. 

“Hey, Yamaguchi,” Tanaka said cautiously from the doorway. He and Ennoshita stepped inside, both looking uncertain and uneasy.

“Hey,” he said quietly, not letting go of Tsukishima’s hand. 

“How’s it going?”

Tadashi swallowed. “I wish it was going better.” 

Ennoshita took a seat next to Tadashi, and Tanaka took a seat on the other side of the bed. 

“You know,” Tanaka started, a small smile on his face. “They covered the accident on the news because it caused such a big traffic jam. Tsukishima’s famous now.”

“Oh. That’s cool,” he muttered, not feeling like it was as cool as Tanaka probably did.

“I was kind of hoping he wasn’t one of the people they said was in critical condition,” Tanaka added sadly. 

Tadashi’s heart sank. 

“He’s not!” he nearly yelled, tears burning in his eyes. “He’s fine! He’s gonna be fine.”

“Hey.” Ennoshita rubbed his back. “Just because he was then, doesn’t mean he is now. He could be doing a lot worse than just sleeping off his injuries.”

Tadashi nodded a little. “Is it sleeping? I feel like sleeping doesn’t last as long as this has.”

From what Tadashi had heard from the whispers of the doctors and nurses, Tsukishima had only been awake when they were pulling him from the car and for the ambulance ride to the hospital. They said that all he’d done in that time was scream in pain and yell for his parents.

He felt so lucky he hadn’t been there to hear that. That sound might ring in his ears for the rest of his life.

“Coach talked to one of the nurses about that,” Tanaka told him. “They said they put him in a medically induced coma because his body needs time to heal from the injuries. He should be waking up within the next day.” 

One day. That seemed so long. He wanted to see Tsukishima’s eyes open now. He wanted to hear his voice. The waiting seemed unbearable.

Kinoshita and Narita came up next with drinks and even more snacks even though he’d yet to touch anything that Nishinoya had brought him. After them, Kiyoko and Yachi came in.

Yachi looked like she’d been crying already, but when she laid eyes on Tsukishima, she let out a gasp and covered her eyes with his hands. 

“Oh, poor Tsukishima,” she cried.

“It’s alright, Yachi,” Kiyoko said coolly, taking the seat next to Tadashi and resting a hand on his. “Are you doing alright, Tadashi?”

He nodded. “Better since everyone’s come in to see him.” 

“I’m glad we could help. Everyone’s very worried about both of you.”

Yachi nodded in agreement. “I know that he’s the one that got hurt, but I also know that I never see you two apart. I can’t imagine how hard this is on you.” 

“I just can’t imagine not having him around, you know? He’s my rock, even if he is stupid and stubborn sometimes.” 

Kiyoko gave him a soft smile. “He’s going to be alright.”

The more people said it, the more it reassured him it might be true. He couldn’t let his fear dictate what he knew to be true anymore. And what he knew to be true was that the doctors weren’t worried, which meant he shouldn’t be either. 

His stomach was still twisted in knots, though. He was beyond worried, but he didn’t feel like he was going to throw up at any given moment anymore, and that was an improvement. 

“Let us know if there’s anything we can do, alright?”

He nodded. “Thanks.”

“Kageyama and Hinata should be the last ones up,” Yachi said. “Coach made them wait because both of them were freaking out when we got here.” 

“Why are they freaking out?” 

“In Hinata’s words, first years have to stick together.”

When the girls had left, it was less than three minutes before Kageyama and Hinata appeared in the doorway, out of breath and flushed. 

Hinata peered around Kageyama, hiding like he was afraid someone in the room might throw something at him. His eyes passed over the room, lingering on Tsukishima before looking towards the ground. 

“Come on,” Kageyama groaned, forcing Hinata into the room. “It’s just Tsukishima.” 

“Yeah, but I’d rather him be making fun of me,” Hinata said sadly.

Tadashi forced a laugh. “Me too. I think he’s better when he’s awake and being mean to people.”

“Excuse me,” a nurse said, pushing a cart past them and wheeling it up next to Tsukishima’s bed. She cut away the bandages on his head to replace them with new ones. Tadashi was happy to see that in the couple of hours since the last time they’d been changed, there was a lot less blood than he’d expected. 

Hinata didn’t seem to feel the same way.

He flopped down into the seat next to Tadashi, his face almost as white as the sheets on Tsukishima’s bed.

“What’s wrong with you?” Kageyama asked, slapping the back of his head. “You see blood all the time. You get injured and rub your blood _on_ me on a regular basis.”

“Yeah, but this is different,” Hinata groaned, rubbing his face. “Those are like little injuries that'll be over in five minutes. This is like a forever injury.”

The nurse gave Hinata a soft smile. “These cuts will scar a little more than most injuries you get in sports, but they won’t last forever. In a month or two, he won’t even think about them anymore.”

Tadashi smiled at the thought of all of this being just a memory in a month. “Thank you.”

She nodded and smiled as she finished re-wrapping the cut on his chest. “They’re all lucky that they made it out alive. I’ve seen pictures of the car they were in, and the fact that anyone came out of that is incredible.”

Kageyama nodded. “My parents and I got stuck in the traffic jam last night. I never would have thought that Tsukishima was one of the people in that car.”

“He’ll come out of it with some cuts and a concussion, his mom with a broken arm, and his dad out of work for a couple of weeks, but overall, I’d say that they’re all incredibly lucky,” the nurse explained.

Tadashi’s heart leaped in his chest. “His dad’s okay?”

She nearly laughed. “That man is a fighter. He died on the table twice but came back both times. He’s going to be on a long road to recovery, but he’ll be okay.” 

He dropped his head to the side of the bed and sighed into the blankets. A wave of relief washed over him. “Thank god.”

Another nurse pushed her way in with a clipboard in her hands. Tadashi was used to this now. 

She read over his chart, checked his vitals, asked the other nurse several questions about his lacerations and head injury, mentioning something about giving him a pint of blood and some more fluids to make up for his losses before turning towards the three boys.

“Name?”

“Tsukishima Kei,” Tadashi answered before the other two could even open their mouths.

“Birthday?”

“September 27th.”

“Do you know his blood type, by chance?”

“B-negative.” 

She grinned. “That’s one of the rarest.” 

Tadashi nodded, squeezing Tsukishima’s hand between his. “So is he.” 

She patted Tadashi’s arm. “We’ll see what we can do to get him up pretty soon, alright? We don’t want to keep all of his friends waiting for him too long.”

“Thanks,” Kageyama told her, forcing a small smile. 

“Yeah,” Hinata agreed. “Thank you.” 

Both of the nurses left, and Kageyama took the seat across from them. He looked at Tsukishima’s face, then to the bandages on his chest, and frowned. “You never think something like this is going to happen to someone you know.”

“I didn’t even believe it when his brother called me last night. Since he’s at university right now, he wanted someone else to come to be at the hospital with them, so my parents are with his mom right now and I’ve been here.” He lowered his head to press another kiss to his knuckles. “It was a lot worse when I got here. They almost had to put a breathing tube in his throat because he wasn’t breathing well on his own, but after a couple of hours with an oxygen mask, he’s been fine.”

“I wish you would have called us sooner. We all could have been here last night.” 

Tadashi frowned. “Yeah, I know, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it until I remembered that we had Sunday practice today. I wasn’t really thinking about anything but Tsukki.” 

“You really care about him, huh?” Hinata asked, looking at their hands. “Not in the friend way.” 

“Yeah,” Tadashi laughed. “More in the, I want to spend the rest of my life knowing that he’s always going to be there to make fun of me, kind of way.”

“Do you love him?”

“More than anything,” Tadashi said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve as tears started to form again. “I spent a long time trying to figure out why I never liked anyone like everyone else does, but one day I realized it was because I’ve liked Tsukki for so long that I just didn’t realize that was what the feeling was.”

"Gross," Kageyama grumbled, though a small smile tugged at his lips.

“Awesome!” Hinata countered, bouncing in his chair a little. “So now he’s like your best friend but with some extra steps, right?”

Tadashi nodded. “He’s been my best friend and will always be my best friend. We see each other at the best and the worst of everything we go through. I just know how lucky I am to get to be with him and it makes me want to love him even more, but I really don’t know if that’s even possible.”

Hinata smiled at Tadashi and then to Kageyama. “What’s it like? That feeling.” 

“It’s like every time I look at him my heart swells up a little bit because I’m proud to be able to say that out of all the people in the world that have, will, or currently like him, I’m the one that gets to hold his hands and kiss him and be there to see all the things that no one else gets to see.”

The other two didn’t respond, but Tadashi didn’t mind. He enjoyed being alone in his own head with comforting thoughts like that while Tsukishima’s hand slowly warmed in his. 

“You absolutely sicken me with how in love with me you are.”

Everyone looked up in shock, meeting Tsukishima’s semi-open eyes with dropped jaws. 

“He’s awake!” Hinata yelled as if that wasn’t obvious to everyone in the room. 

“Tsukki!” Tadashi said, standing to get closer to him. “Oh my god, are you okay? How are you feeling? Kageyama, go get a nurse!”

“I’m fine,” Tsukishima groaned, his voice low and raspy from the hours and hours he’d been asleep mixed with the fact that he’d probably screamed for an hour before they’d sedated him. 

Tadashi’s bottom lip bobbled. “Don’t do that to me again, you idiot! I didn’t think you were ever going to wake up.”

Tsukishima’s face softened, and he squeezed Tadashi’s hand a little. “Stop crying, I’m okay.” 

Two nurses and a doctor came into the room, ushering Hinata and Kageyama out.

“You can come back later. One guest at a time or you’ll overwhelm him.”

“By guys! See you later!” Hinata called from the hallway. 

Kageyama waved and shoved Hinata out of the way of the doctors. “Feel better, Tsukishima!”

Tadashi reluctantly let go of Tsukishima’s hand and backed away just enough for the nurses and doctors to do a few tests and ask him questions, probably to check for memory loss. 

“Do you know your name?”

“Tsukishima Kei,” he answered.

“Where do you go to school?”

“Karasuno High.”

“Play any sports?”

“Volleyball.”

“Very good. What’s your position?”

“Middle blocker.”

“Wouldn’t expect anything else with your height,” the nurse laughed, patting his arm. “Do you remember what happened to you?”

Tsukishima thought for a moment. “We were on the way to Tadashi’s house and a truck swerved out in front of us. I think we were upside down for a while. Are my parents alright?”

“Your parents are fine,” the nurse assured. “You’re a family of fighters, I can tell you that.”

He looked over to meet Tadashi’s eyes, continuing to answer questions like it was no problem at all. Even after something so traumatic, he was just as cool and collected as always, even managing to make a few smart-alec remarks about Hinata in the process. 

“Who’s over here?” the nurse asked, gesturing to Tadashi.

“Yamaguchi Tadashi,” Tsukishima said, his lips twitching up into a smile.

“And who is he to you?”

He didn’t answer for a moment, squinting at Tadashi, probably not able to see him clearly without his glasses. He didn't stop staring. “He’s my boyfriend.”

The nurse turned to Tadashi. “That check out?” 

Tadashi felt his cheeks heat up, and he nodded. “Definitely.” 

The doctor pulled a stethoscope from Tsukishima’s chest. “Right, well, everything seems to be in order. Somewhat severe concussion, but luckily there’s no apparent memory loss. Several bruised ribs and whiplash. You won’t be able to play for at least two weeks, but I’m sure your teammates will understand.”

“That just means you get to play more,” Tsukishima said, tilting his head in Tadashi's direction. His eyes were bright, alive even though they were squinty without his glasses. “Which I’ll be glad to watch.”

Tadashi’s face grew even redder, and he looked away. “Shut up.”

“Seems like the consensus that everyone’s just glad you and your family are safe. On that note, I’m going to go let your mom know that you’re awake. By the end of the day, we’ll get you a wheelchair so you can go see your dad in post-op, alright?” 

“Thanks.”

The doctor and nurses left, and Tadashi kept his gaze on the window on the opposite side of the room. He was still in shock that Tsukishima was awake just a few feet away from him. Being able to look at him, talk to him. It all felt like too much after hours of being scared to even hold his hand from the fear of pulling out his IV.

“Tad,” Tsukishima called. He looked up, seeing that he was holding out his hand for him to take. “C’mere.”

Tadashi took his hand, letting Tsukishima pull him to the bed. “I missed you,” he said, choking back a fresh wave of tears.

“Haven’t I only been out for a day?” Despite his teasing, there was a soft, worried smile on his face as he rubbed his thumb across Tadashi’s hand. 

“This has been the longest I’ve gone without talking to you in years,” Tadashi reminded. “I hated every second of it.” 

“Is your heart swelling at the sight of me?” Tsukishima asked, his lips twisting into a smirk. “Because you’re so lucky to have me to yourself.”

“Shut up,” Tadashi groaned, though he was smiling more than he had all day. “I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah…”

Tsukishima reached up with his free hand and grabbed Tadashi’s shirt, pulling him down with a surprising amount of force. Tadashi gasped, managing to catch himself by pressing his hands to either side of Tsukishima’s body. 

“Be careful!” he whined, staring down at Tsukishima’s face. “You’re hurt!”

“I’m fine.”

Tadashi saw one of his tears splatter onto Tsukishima’s cheek. “You weren’t. And you’re still just as hurt as you were twenty minutes ago when I still thought you weren’t going to wake up.”

Tsukishima swallowed and moved his hand from Tadashi’s shirt to his face, wiping away his tears. “You know, sometimes I think I’m kinda lucky to have you too.” 

“So you heard all of that, huh?” 

“If it makes you feel better, I think hearing you talk about how much I matter to you was part of the reason I woke up when I did.” 

Tadashi grinned. “Awe.”

 _“Awe,”_ Tsukishima mocked, pulling Tadashi down by the chin. “Did you miss kissing me as much as you missed talking to me?”

“Definitely.”

“Perfect.”

Tsukishima lifted his head just enough to press a soft kiss to Tadashi’s lips. His lips were more chapped than they normally were and there was a faint taste of alcohol rub, but it still made Tadashi’s heart race just like every other time Tsukishima kissed him. 

He willed his arms not to give out so he didn’t fall on top of Tsukishima’s body and hurt him more than he already was, but the second they pulled away, Tsukishima was tapping his hip. 

“What?”

“Get on the bed,” Tsukishima demanded, his face darkening with color. 

Even after almost a year since their first kiss, physical affection was still something that he struggled with. He was better than he had been by a long shot, given that he’d actually ask if he wanted something rather than relying on Tadashi to initiate every hug or to hold his hand.

“You wanna cuddle?” Tadashi asked softly.

Tsukishima grimaced at the word, but he still shifted slightly to give Tadashi more space on the bed. “Yes, shut up.”

“I don’t want to hurt you…”

“Please?” 

Tadashi smiled and pressed another kiss to his lips before crawling onto the bed and gently laying down beside him. “Tell me if I’m hurting you.”

“You’re not,” Tsukishima assured, laying all the way back and letting Tadashi move into him a little more. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“I’m just glad everyone’s alright. You know, your dad died twice during surgery?”

Tsukishima hummed into Tadashi’s hair, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “He’d be pissed if he died before he got that promotion at work. He probably willed his soul back into his body both times.” 

Tadashi buried his face in Tsukishima’s neck and let out a shaky sigh. “I’m so happy you’re okay.” 

“Me too.”

“I love you, Tsukki. More than anything.” 

“I love you, Tadashi. You… you make my heart swell too, whatever that means.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading :) leave me your thoughts and things if you feel inclined


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